People have been fascinated by merpeople and merfolk since ancient times. From the sirens of Homer's Odyssey to Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid and the film Splash , myths, stories, and legends of half-human, half-fish creatures abound. In modern times "mermaiding" has gained popularity among cosplayers throughout the world. In A Human History , Vaughn Scribner traces the long history of mermaids and mermen, taking in a wide variety of sources and using 117 striking images. From film to philosophy, church halls to coffee houses, ancient myth to modern science, Scribner shows that mermaids and tritons are - and always have been - everywhere.